The Langham London

The setting

Glide through the marvellous marble lobby of the Langham London – bang opposite the BBC in the West End – and ensconce yourself in pastel-coloured heaven, where a blue grand piano reworks classics and every handbag is offered a little stool of its own to perch on while you eat.

The Palm Court is one of the loveliest tea rooms in London and it strikes just the right notes of femininity and glamour. And so it should: The Langham has been serving afternoon tea since it opened in 1865. The room itself is fairly large but the service is attentive and noise levels never rise above a contented murmur.

The tea

A clear sense of tradition, light scones paired with delicious clotted cream, Langham’s homemade Jam and delicately cut finger sandwiches start the formalities. But seasonal ingredients are the big obsession here, so much so that the tea has been christened SeasonaliTea and features the finest ingredients, for the best flavours possible.

Still, classic flavours have their place; if you come along with a hankering for cucumber sandwiches and strawberry jam, the Palm Court delivers those too. Tea choices are extensive. Offering an extensive range of white, green and black teas, the team of tea sommeliers are on hand to guide you through them.

The flourishes

A dainty cup of jasmine tea appears just as you’re seated, and if there’s anything you don’t manage to eat by the end of your sitting, take it home: The Langham’s origami-like floral-printed doggy bags are beyond chic.

Naturally, pastries arrive on a silver stand, and their delicacy is tempered by the knowledge that pastry chef Andrew Gravett works to create mouthful-sized cakes that are fun and flavourful. The cakes update regularly dependent on what is in season and are brought to life with a reduction of refined sugar to really highlight the natural flavours of the ingredients.

Add a glass of champagne if you’ve got no plans later on, or upgrade your menu to a High Tea, which includes an extra savoury course such as Lobster cocktail with avocado and cep sable, or a roasted squash and comté pickled beetroot tartlet.

Best for

Special occasion teas to treat the deserving person in your life, or a romantic mid-afternoon feast à deux.

The details

Afternoon tea is served from 12.30 -5.30pm and costs from £62 per person. Champagne afternoon tea costs £75 per person.

Portland Place, London, W1B 1JA; langhamhotels.com

The Ritz

The setting

Unsurprisingly for a hotel that’s a byword for opulence, afternoon tea in the Palm Court has to be, well, the ritziest in London. White tablecloths, gilded chandeliers and lofty ceilings provide the requisite sense of pomp and splendour, while shades of pink and gold, and the tinklings of a live piano, make for a genteel atmosphere.

Take note of the formal dress code: gentlemen must wear a suit and tie, and while there are no hard and fast rules for women, even your fanciest glad rags couldn’t outdo the splendid surroundings.

The tea

Quintessentially English, with a five-star polish. Finger sandwiches are a roll-call of classics: cucumber and cream cheese, smoked salmon and lemon butter, egg mayonnaise and so on – crusts off, naturally – with extra options available for vegetarians.

Freshly baked scones – plain and raisin – are gargantuan, crumbly affairs, served with Cornish clotted cream and Ritz-made jam. Photogenic pastries, made by the hotel’s pastry chef, vary seasonally, while the day’s freshly-baked cakes are served from an old-school dessert trolley.

Twenty-one varieties of tea, selected by the Ritz’s ‘tea sommelier’, include several exclusive to the hotel, and three exotic prestige blends that incur a £5 supplement. Everything is refillable, so it may actually be the world’s classiest all-you-can-eat.

The flourishes

Champagne afternoon tea comes with a glass of Champagne Barons de Rothschild Ritz Reserve – as the name suggests, served exclusively at The Ritz in London and Paris. Service is every bit as refined as the fine bone china and polished silver cake stand on which it is served.

Dapper staff provide a sense of ceremony without veering into fawning territory, and resident pianist Ian Gomes has been taking requests for 25 years and counting. His biggest crowd-pleaser? Puttin’ on the Ritz.

Best for

Marking a seriously special occasion; celebration cakes, ordered 48 hours in advance, come out to a chorus of ‘Happy Birthdays’.

The details

Afternoon tea is served daily at 11.30am, 1.30pm, 3.30pm, 5.30pm and 7.30pm. Traditional afternoon tea costs £60 per person, Champagne afternoon tea costs £79 per person.

150 Piccadilly, London, W1J 9BR; theritzlondon.com

Claridge’s

The setting

A dash across the chequerboard marble floor of Claridge’s lobby, the hotel’s Foyer and Reading Room is a stalwart of the afternoon tea tradition. Starched white tablecloths, towering floral displays and original art deco mirrors make for a stylish backdrop, and there’s a genuine sense of occasion thanks to the ceremonious bustling of white-jacketed waiters.

Groups can cocoon themselves on leather sofas or banquettes in the cosier Reading Room, set behind those mirrors. Flash or ‘intrusive’ photography is banned – as are ripped jeans and flip-flops, as befits the refined setting.

The tea

Having served afternoon tea for over 150 years, Claridge’s has the finer details down to a tee. Sandwich fillings are meticulously measured so that their innards – whether Clarence Court duck egg and mustard cress or chicken, lemon thyme mayonnaise and gem lettuce – are precisely the same width as the uniform slices of (laterally cut) bread either side.

Such attention-to-detail is evident throughout the tea: neat pairs of scones, plain and raisin, are baked to a consistent golden hue, their upright silhouettes echoing the jade-and-white striped pots in which clotted cream and Marco Polo gelée (“one of the finest jams in the world”) is served.

Beautifully decorated pastries change every week – crafted by Parisian pâtissier Jérôme Chaucesse, they add French flair to this most British meal, and might include orange mousseline Opéra gâteau or miniature chestnut and honey éclairs. A 26-strong tea menu is one of just two in the world that offers ultra-rare Malawi Antler tea, alongside a bespoke Claridge’s blend.

The flourishes

Staff are expert when it comes to making guests feel at once cosseted and comfortable; as if helping oneself to a puff-pastry tart from a tiered silver stand to the strains of a live piano-cellist duo is an everyday occurrence. An extra course of profiteroles was an entirely unnecessary but welcome surprise; as were the packet of Claridge’s sweets offered as a gift, alongside the beautifully packaged up leftover pastries, at the end.

Best for

Traditionalists who want to feel spoilt for a few hours.

The details

Afternoon tea is served in eight sittings daily, between 2.45pm and 5.30pm, and costs £70 per person, or £80 with a glass of Laurent-Perrier La Cuvée Brut.

Brook Street, London W1K 4HR; claridges.co.uk

Ting, Shangri-La at the Shard

The setting

London’s highest afternoon tea is served from the 35th floor of the Shard, amid the polished calm of the Shangri-La hotel’s Ting restaurant and lounge. The decor is inoffensive, contemporary five-star hotel chic with an Asian flavour courtesy of delicate bamboo-style screens and the odd decorative lacquer and gold-leaf cabinet.

But you’re not here for the furnishings: the jaw-dropping 360-degree view of London from the wraparound, floor-to-ceiling windows is all the decoration you need.

The tea

With a menu that changes seasonally, the tea fuses the traditional roster of finger sandwiches and scones with delectable, Asian-inspired twists. Vegetarian sandwiches include a spicy nut and tomato mix along with cucumber, pink pepper and cheddar on beetroot bread, and sweets might include sesame, yuzu and lemon choux, mango and coconut chocolate brownie, or vanilla rice pudding with rhubarb.

Everything is daintily sized, so you won’t feel overly indulgent ordering refills – which are unlimited. Finish up with a slice of cake – chocolate and pistachio marble, perhaps. Effusive service amps up the special-occasion nature; guests are never made to feel rushed, and are encouraged to explore the 32-strong list of teas while drinking in those city views.

The flourishes

The ceremony begins with porcelain bowls of palette-cleansing fruit tea, presented on what resembles a bamboo steamer over which water is poured, dousing the table in a creeping layer of dry ice. It’s a flamboyant start, and everything that follows is just as meticulously presented, without ever drawing attention away from the setting.

Best for

Out-of-towners who want a unique view of London’s most iconic landmarks.

The details

Afternoon tea is served from 12pm – 4pm Monday to Saturday, and from 12pm – 6pm Sundays. It costs £59 per person, or £69 with a glass of Veuve Clicquot.

The Shard, 31 St Thomas St, London SE1 9QU; ting-shangri-la.com

Fortnum & Mason

The setting

The grande dame of traditional afternoon tea establishments, the Fortnum & Mason facade on Piccadilly is as identifiable as its peppermint green carrier bags and signage. And that traditionalism carries through into the dainty eau-de-nil and dove grey tones of the grandly titled Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon, which exudes the kind of white-gloved, Edwardian charm you’d expect aboard a turn-of-the-century ocean liner.

The tea

Flutes of champagne arrive as if by magic as we settled into our seats and we were impressed that, despite the old-world environment, Fortnum & Mason is progressive in its menu offerings: vegan, gluten free and dairy free items all feature.

Vegetarians the world over tend to be lumped with one-note risotto, but this menu is expansive and interesting; pickled celeriac with kale pesto sandwiches, alongside more traditional cheese and red onion, and marmalade and cucumber (with the addition of mint cream cheese).

We opted for the savoury afternoon tea; the usual fruit scones are replaced by Shropshire blue cheese with cranberry jelly, and confections take the form of delicious canape “desserts”.

The servings are, thankfully, light; no sooner have we bid farewell to the mini sweet offerings than the arrival of the princely-sounding “Cake Carriage” sweeps ceremoniously to our table.

There are myriad teas on offer; our waiter guides us to the herbal infusions for a more innovative take on afternoon tea, with blends of sour cherry and orange that tastes almost cocktail-like, and a peppery, aniseed mix of liquorice, mint and lemon verbena.

The flourishes

The showstopper cakes are a fitting grand finale; a traditional line up of British favourites such as lemon drizzle and Victoria Sponge are perfectly in-keeping with the coiffed clientele in Sunday best.

Best for

Sightseers in town for a traditional, authentic London experience.

The details

Afternoon tea costs £60 per person, with champagne from £13.50 per glass.

181 Piccadilly, W1A, fortnumandmason.com